Improvement in envelope and paper fasteners



W; J. WESTWOOD & G. PFLEGER. Envelbpe and Paper Fastener.

bio/203,514. Patented May 7,1878.

i i adv):

UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. WESTWOOD AND GEORGE PFLEGER, OF SOUTH BEND, IND.

IMPROVEMENT IN ENVELOPE AND PAPER FASTENERS."

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 203,514, dated May 7, 1878; application filed January 28, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that we, WILLIAM J. WEST- WOOD, of South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, and GEORGE PFLEGER, of South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Envelope and Paper Fasteners; and we do hereby declare I that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object we have in view is to prevent the opening of envelopes or other mail or express packages without detection; and this we propose to accomplish by the use of a metallic fastener, which, after being secured, cannot be removed without breaking or tearing the envelope. For this purpose we have invented a peculiar metallic fastener,,which can also be applied to the various uses made of the ordinary paper-fastener.

Our invention therein consists in'the method of fastening or securing an envelope or package by inserting from the inside of the envelope, through the body and flap or flaps of the same, a flanged cap, with one end closed, by placing another cap of similar construction over the exposed end of the first cap, and by compressing the two caps together, so as to hold the parts of the envelope between their flanges.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of an envelope secured by one of our metallic fasteners; Fig. 2, a sectional view of the envelope I and fastener before the fastener is compressed or driven together, and Fig. 3 a separate enlarged view of the fastener.

Like letters denote corresponding parts.

A represents an envelope of ordinary form. The laps of an envelope of this kind are all brought together at the center of the back, and overlap each other, so that a single fastenin g will be suflicient to secure the envelope; but envelopes of other character, such as express packages, may require several fasteners.

We use in fastening the envelopes or package a peculiar fastening, especially adapted for this purpose, of which the following is a description:

B is a cap, struck up from thin metal. This cap resembles closely an ordinary percussioncap for fire-arms, with the exception that it has smooth walls and a flange, a, at its base. 0 is another cap, similar in construction to the cap B, but of larger size, so that it will slip over the cap B.

To use the fastener, a hole is made through the envelope just the size of the top of the cap B, and this cap is inserted in the hole from the inside, the flange or preventing the cap from passing all the way through. The cap 0 is then placed over the cap B from the outside, the paper of the envelope being held between the flanges of the two caps; and the caps are then compressed or driven together by any suitable hand-stamp or hammer, making a very secure fastening.

A washer may be used in place of the cap 0, or the cap B may be used without a washer, and even maybe constructed solid, without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus fully described our invention and explained some of its advantages, what we claim as new therein, and desire to se cure by Letters Patent, is-

The method of fastening envelopes or packages by inserting a flanged cap with closed end through one thickness of the body and flap .or flaps of the envelope, and then placing another cap of similar construction over the exposed end of the first cap, and compressing the caps together so as to hold the parts of the envelope or package between their flanges, substantially as set forth and shown.

This specification signed andwitnessed this 5th day of November, 1877.

WILLIAM J. WESTWOOD.

GEORGE PFLEGER. Witnesses:

ORLANDO S. WITHERILL, JAMES N. OoRNINe. 

